Jaws dropped during the Season 15 premiere of So You Think You Can Dance, when a Ukrainian contortionist kicked off the first round of auditions.

Marina Mazepa’s performance seemed to initially scare judge Nigel Lythgoe, who jumped in his seat when the dancer revealed her face for the first time halfway through the performance. Lythgoe was ultimately impressed, however, as he told Mazepa, “I can’t say I’ve ever seen anything like that before, Marina. It was like the birth of a dancer. I’m stunned, to be honest with you. I found it amazing. The whole concept of it. I was thrilled with it.”

On the other hand, judge Vanessa Hudgens was enamored from the very beginning. “Oh my gosh, my heart. You have my heart,” Hudgens told Mazepa. “That was just so profound. I mean, it was like performance art. I adore the way that you use your body to turn yourself into this creature, and then the concept of shedding your skin. I’m just in awe of you.”

Stephen Boss and Mary Murphy also agreed that Mazepa was astonishing. In the end, all the judges loved the fact that, after 14 seasons, Mazepa showed them something they’ve never seen before.